Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu raised the issue during his meeting with President Putin in the Kremlin last month, following a request from IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkott, and asked him to return the tank to Israel as it is the only evidence for the families of those IDF soldiers missing from the battle of Sultan Yaakoub.

Over the weekend Israel received notice that Russian President Putin had acceded to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request to return the tank – which the Syrians had delivered to the Russian army and is currently at the armored corps museum in Moscow – to Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu updated the families of MIAs Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz and Zechariah Baumel.

An IDF Armored Corps delegation is currently in Moscow and – along with Russian army personnel – is considering how to transfer the tank to Israel forthwith.

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded “I thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for acceding to my request to return to Israel the tank from the Battle of Sultan Yaakoub. To the families of MIAs Zechariah Baumel, Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz, there has been nothing to remember the boys by and no grave to visit for 34 years now. The tank is the only evidence of the battle and now it is coming back to Israel thanks to President Putin’s response to my request.”

Excerpt from Wikipedia

On June 10, 1982, during the First Lebanon War, the Israeli 90th Division was rushed forward in order to gain as much ground as possible before the cease-fire came into effect.

Late that night most of its 362nd Battalion as well as Pluga Kaph from the 363rd Battalion fought its way through Syrian infantry in the village of Sultan Yaakoub only to become cut off and surrounded. At dawn, the Israelis broke out and escaped to the south with the support of 11 battalions of artillery firing both at the Syrians and in a box barrage around their own troops. In the six-hours ordeal the Israeli Army lost eight tanks and about 30 killed.

Thirty IDF soldiers died in the battle, which was viewed as an Israeli intelligence failure. Three IDF soldiers remain missing in action: Zachary Baumel, an Israeli-US citizen, Yehuda Katz and Tzvi Feldman. The three soldiers were captured and were paraded through Damascus held on top of their captured tank. Time magazine reporter Dean Brelis testified to having seen the three captives alive at the time.

Perchiya Hyman, a brother of Yehuda Katz HY”D, spoke with Reshet Bet Radio on Monday morning 22 Iyar. She used the opportunity to praise IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott, who she explains was willing to hear from her and the other families and willing to take different measures to learn what happened to the missing soldiers.

Reshet Bet:

Are you less than pleased with the news the tank is being returned?

Hyman:

This is a rhetorical question. After 34 years of waiting with results, certainly the tank is insufficient and I want to know what happened to Yehuda and have his remains returned.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)